FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Megan Smith
OCT. 1, 2013 319-558-6795
IOWA FAIR SHARE HIGHLIGHTS LOCAL DAMAGE FROM GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN,
DEMANDS THAT CONGRESS GET BACK TO WORK
Des Moines, Iowa – Iowa Fair Share today laid out the tremendous impact of the government shutdown and demanded that Congress pass a clean, continuing resolution to put government back to work.
“House Republicans are willing to risk delaying new Social Security benefits and student loans, military pay and other government services – all in the name of re-fighting a battle they lost three years ago,” said State Senator Jeff Danielson. Megan Smith, Organizer for Iowa Fair Share added, “This is the 42nd time this group of representatives in Washington has played political games in order to take down health care reform. And this time they are risking the economic health and security of our entire country. Enough already.”
Sue Dinsdale, spokesperson for Iowa Citizen Action Network added, “In the five years since the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, Iowa communities have led our nation’s economic recovery. A government shutdown is a setback to these communities and to the economy as a whole.”
Iowa Fair Share today offered a small taste of what could happen:
- A shutdown could delay Small Business Administration financial support for Iowa’s small businesses. Iowa is home to 61,633 small businesses.
- A shutdown could delay military pay and hurt military families in Iowa. The Department of Defense estimates that during a shutdown nearly half of the civilian workforce would be sent home without pay, while the rest would continue to work for delayed pay, affecting the military’s 1,603 civilian workers in Iowa.
- A shutdown could put 9000 federal employees in Iowa out of work. Federal employees around the country would potentially be furloughed because of the shutdown. These workers may see reductions in their pay from the time they were forced to stay home.
- In addition, Social Security checks for new seniors and veterans’ benefits may be delayed. And if the shutdown lasts weeks, Head Start programs in Iowa could be forced to closed, adding additional harm to cuts enacted this year under the sequester.
Des Moines resident and veteran Tom LaPointe remarked, “While all VA medical facilities and clinics will remain open and staffed and fully operational, I remain concerned long term for the well-being and returning veterans.”
“A government shutdown will hurt middle class families and small businesses and threaten our fragile economic recovery,” said Megan Smith, spokesman for Iowa Fair Share. “Republicans need to stop their grandstanding on Obamacare and pass a clean resolution that protects our families and our jobs. The job of Congress is to make government work better for the people – not to stop it from working. It is simply unconscionable that we have even gotten to this point.”
Iowa Fair Share is a grassroots field and advocacy group, working to provide every American with a fair shot, make sure everyone pays their fair share, and that everybody plays by the same set of rules. Find out more at www.fairshareonline.org
Megan Smith
Iowa Fair Share
megan@fairshareonline.org
3195586795